Batteries, Sellotape and crackers have topped the list of the most commonly forgotten items at Christmas, research has shown. The study also reminded us that brandy, gravy and napkins also escape many of us by the time the day of festivities is upon us.
Running out of gift tags is commonplace, while pigs in blankets, chocolate coins and Grandma’s sherry are regularly missed off the shopping list.
One in six people has even had to make a drastic change to their Christmas day meal after forgetting a crucial ingredient while surprisingly, one in 20 people even forget to buy a turkey.
The research, commissioned by Budgens, found a quarter of the 2,000 people polled had given someone an IOU after forgetting to buy them a present.
Hopefully the results may act as a memory jog, because the average person forgets at least five items for Christmas Day each and every year.
A spokesperson for Budgens said:
”With so much to plan and the pressure we all put ourselves under to enjoy that perfect Christmas, it’s only natural that we’ll forget a thing or two.
”So many hosts take pride in putting on a great Christmas dinner or ensuring everyone is having a good time that sometimes realising you’ve forgotten something can dampen the celebration.
”Of course the emphasis should always be about who you’re spending Christmas with, rather than stressing about forgotten items.
”Even with all the planning and preparation we put in to the big day, we can’t always remember everything so a last minute dash to the shops is sometimes necessary.”
Forgetting to buy enough beer is a common blooper, while blu tack and bread sauce are likely to slip the mind and feature high on the list of forgotten items year in, year out.
The shopping list is definitely worth checking twice, with those surveyed confessing to regularly missing off stuffing, pickle and even the Christmas pudding.
A fifth of people admit to suffering a disrupted night’s sleep worrying about what they’ve forgotten as the holidays creep ever closer.
One in four say being forgetful has led them to turn up at a drinks party without a present or a bottle.
Sometimes even being organised doesn’t always payoff – 40% of people have bought a present way in advance only to lose it or forget where they put it originally.
Of these, more than half didn’t ever find the present again and were either compelled to buy another one or just not mention they’d had one and lost it.
30% of people have run short of things when cooking on Christmas Day and had to go without.
Whilst one in seven have resorted to driving around on Christmas Day, desperately searching for an open shop in which to buy crucial ingredients.
The Budgens spokesman continued:
”Hopefully the results will act as a reminder for many to ensure nothing crucial is forgotten.
”However, to minimise the stress for customers of Budgens retailers, we’ve commissioned this research to determine what people forget most, and ensure all Budgens stores are stocked up this Christmas.”
”We know people are very focused on the core components of their Christmas dinner with fresh vegetables and all the trimmings top of their shopping lists, so we’ve commissioned this research to remind shoppers of the items which most often slip people’s minds.”
MOST FORGOTTEN CHRISTMAS ITEMS:
1. Batteries
2. Sellotape
3. Crackers
4. Gift tags
5. Cranberry sauce
6. Wrapping paper
7. Pigs in blankets
8. Napkins
9. Beer
10. Gravy
11. Blue tack
12. Turkey
13. Stuffing
14. Bread sauce
15. Biscuits
16. Cheese
17. Tins of chocolates
18. Chocolate coins
19. Mince pies
20. Wine
21. Pickle
22. Christmas pudding
23. Brussels sprouts
24. Brandy butter
25. Christmas cake
26. Parsnips
27. Bucks fizz
28. Oranges
29. Vol au vents
30. Sherry
31. Smoked salmon
32. Potatoes
33. Brandy
34. Carrots
35. Canapes
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